


Same Old Ache

by Vanamiya



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Gift Fic, I don't even know how to tag this, M/M, Post Predacon Rising, Transformers Plug and Play Sexual Interfacing, mentioned canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:05:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9266867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanamiya/pseuds/Vanamiya
Summary: The truth of the matter was, however, that Knockout wasn't known to be sensible when it came to things he wanted. He was lonely and there was only so much a mech could do for himself.This is a gift for the TF secret Santa 2016!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bremmatron33](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bremmatron33/gifts).



> Hello there, giftee! This is my gift for the TF secret Santa 2016. It took me longer than anticipated to finish and I'm sorry because of that. orz It's a fanfic because I can't draw but I hope you will be able to enjoy it regardless!

Yes, perhaps Knockout was running away from his problems. Millions of stellar cycles going through the same motions over and over again while everything around you crumbled to dust would do a number on any bot, had done a number on every bot he knew.  
  
It wasn't like he hadn't enjoyed himself. The perks of being a Decepticon had always been their slack views regarding morals. Tight as the rules were when it came to loyalty and not stepping out of line, no one batted an eye when a patient did not make it, when they were instead used for spare parts. It was something Autobots sneered at and Knockout never quite understood why. Dismantling was a profession like any other and he liked to pride himself on having become quite the expert in all the time he had had to practice.  
  
That disregard for life had crept into his circuity, seeping into him like a rust infection. It was only when Breakdown's spark signal had vanished that he truly noticed it. He should have been devastated. Instead, he had been angry at himself for not being able to feel more than a slight ache at the back of his processor. It felt cold. He wanted to shiver whenever he thought about it, so he didn't.  
  
Taking it out on the human had been good but it wouldn't heal the wound that would not hurt, no matter how much he prodded at it and would not disappear, forever marring his mind like a scar. The war had taken away so much that it seemed foolish to hold on to anything but it had not taken away Breakdown. Decepticon mentality had.  
  
Joining the Autobots had just been out of convenience, without any deeper meaning. It took Knockout time to realize that it wasn't something you could do on a whim. The Autobots were so different from what he had been used to that it gave him a processor ache whenever they disagreed with his methods while causing his spark to flutter whenever they showed him a level of basic decency that most Decepticons simply didn't bother with. It was that dichotomy that kept him busy enough to comfortably push away his doubts. They never mattered anyway. What mattered was the here and now. What he could do to rebuilt Cybertron and bring it back to its former glory, preferably with him in a position of influence.  
  
The only problem, the only thorn in his optic, was that tall blue mech his gaze lingered on for maybe a nano-klik or two longer than was necessary. He certainly had enough on his mind to never touch upon that subject ever again and really, you should let sleeping turbo-foxes lie.  
  
The truth of the matter was, however, that Knockout wasn't known to be sensible when it came to things he wanted. He was lonely and there was only so much a mech could do for himself. Of course, there were always others but he supposed he had a type and was particular about it, too.  
  
He had to learn fairly quickly that Ultra Magnus was not easy to seduce. He represented Autobot values compressed into the driest, most unappealing package imaginable. And he was prudish. Knockout had to wonder why, out of all eligible subjects, it had to be him. Maybe because he didn't want himself to succeed, fearing the repercussions and possible emotional turmoil that would follow. No, that couldn't be it. There was nothing emotional about this. Just because Ultra Magnus was big and blue didn't mean he was trying to soothe a hurt that didn't even exist in the first place.  
  
It was only when Ultra Magnus confronted him – actually confronted him instead of just ignoring his flirtatious comments and half-joking invitations to his quarters – that Knockout felt the seatbelts in his neck tighten.  
  
He grinned. What else could he do? Though it wasn't as much glee as it was nervousness not wanting to manifest as such and disguising as confidence instead. Ultra Magnus didn't seem impressed.  
  
“I will not ask a second time, soldier- doctor. Your... invitations are flattering. However, they are of questionable intent. What is it that you truly want?”  
  
Knockout mouth reacted faster than his processor. “Accept the invitation and find out, big guy.”  
  
Ultra Magnus' optical ridge twitched like it always did when he called him that. It was a delight to watch just like every instance when the commander attempted to break away from his too tight framework of regulations.  
  
Ultra Magnus was quiet for a moment, most likely trying to decide on the best curse of action in this situation. Finally, his optics focused on Knockout's, burning into him with their intesity.  
  
“Fine. I will accept.”  
  
His spark jumped. He wasn't quite sure if it was because of fear or excitement. He forced himself to not let any of it show on the outside, electromagnetic field tight around his own frame and smirk still in place.  
  
“Great. My shift ends in-” He had to check is chronometer. “three joors. You know where my quarters are, yes?”  
  
Ultra Magnus answered with a court nod before leaving the medbay. Knockout stared after him, no longer pretending to be in control of things he didn't completely understand. Being an Autobot was a lot more trying than expected. Decepticons liked to joke about how easy Autobots had to have it without that tyrant of a leader they had to put up with but they obviously had no idea.  
  
Rust infections healed. The nanites would eat away the flaky tissue and fill the gaps with new, healthy metal. Could Decepticon mentality heal the same way? He somehow doubted it but it was a nice fantasy to indulge in. Perhaps, one day, it would let him mourn the way mourning was supposed to feel like.  
  
Ultra Magnus already waited for him when he returned to his quarters for the solar-cycle. It should have been expected but it surprised Knockout anyway. He wondered, briefly, how the other mech felt about this. Even if something grew from this, it could be nothing more than a fling, a way to waste time better spent working on their objective. The more effort he put into thinking about it, the clearer it became that this hole endeavor was nothing short of futile. Still, he could only try. His charge had nowhere to go on this big, lonely planet and Ultra Magnus seemed like he was capable of giving a lot once you managed to get underneath his plating.  
  
They didn't talk, not really. What was there even to say? They barely knew each other and while Knockout was a fan of idle gossip, he knew for a fact that Ultra Magnus despised it. Not to mention that it wouldn't be the right topic for this particular encounter anyway. You didn't need words for this. They would get to know each other differently.  
  
They sat down on Knockout's berth that would barely manage to accommodate the two mechs and with the delicacy that only a medic possessed, he started to hook them up. The first cable was his own and he plugged it onto Ultra Magnus' port effortlessly. The previously impassive expression changed without delay. Ultra Magnus stared at him and something painfully close to understanding flashed up in his optics as the first transfers of raw data reached his sensor net.  
  
“This is not about me at all, is it?”  
  
It sounded somewhat accusing and Knockout twitched. He had feared it could end up like this and hesitated to plug the remaining cable into his own port. It was moments like these that almost made him envy humans and their method of interfacing. As disgusting as it looked when they rubbed their fleshy bodies together until, somehow, it managed to create enough charge for them to overload, it was not nearly as personal and invasively intimate. They could do it without the other party ever knowing their true motive.  
  
A servo much bigger than his own wrapped around his, reinforcing the grip on the cable and slowly pushing it towards his port.  
  
“It was you who wanted to start this. Finish it.”  
  
Ultra Magnus was right. Of course he was. For a moment Knockout felt humiliation because of his own hesitation. What was he even doing here?  
  
The plug found its designated port without further encouragement and... oh. _Oh._ Strings upon strings of raw unfiltered code flowed into him and translated into a plethora of feelings and thoughts.  
  
As stiff as Ultra Magnus was, he certainly was not cold. Rules gave power a form that could be molded into the right shape. Order gave his life a sense of purpose. It was easier to cling to that and defend it with every last spin of his spark than to let chaos scramble his processor and cloud his mind until he no longer knew what to believe in. But he had ended up running against wall after wall and bot after bot who didn't share his views and left for good. He had squeezed tighter until all had fallen apart and it had been Optimus Prime and his calm, understanding words, that had made Ultra Magnus finally see his mistake. He couldn't force others to share his mindset, he needed to reach out and understand them as well.  
  
Knockout let the knowledge wash over him. It was vague, a lot less defined than it would have been had this been a cortical psychic patch, but it was enough to let him understand why Ultra Magnus was here. Why they were doing this. It seemed they both still needed to learn how to socialize with their fellow Autobots. He couldn't help the giddy chuckle that fled his vocalizer at the thought.  
  
They shifted. Seemingly picking up on the little but important detail that was Knockout's endless vanity, Ultra Magnus chose to let the smaller mech straddle him. Doing this would reduce paint transfers to a minimum and Knockout thanked him a with a pleased rev of his engines. Ultra Magnus answered with a deep rumble that vibrated against his plating in the most delicious ways. He was almost surprised with how much he had missed this. Almost.  
  
Knockout grinned and this time it was full of actual confidence at the prospect of having a fun time. He decided to indulge himself, let his servos wander over blue and red plating to see which would cause the most tactile feedback. Those considerably sized shoulders were a point of interest, though the reaction was less than satisfactory and so he wandered further down. His touches were slow, teasing, and when he could feel the first trickle of charge being shared through their connection, his engine gave another eager rev.  
  
Ultra Magnus was bit more reluctant to touch him. One servo was, after all, not much more than a huge claw and when he did put that a bit too close to Knockout's finish, he caught the wrist in his own clawed servo. His voice was light but with a hint of seriousness behind it when he chided his partner.  
  
“Careful with that. You don't want to scratch my paint, now do you?”  
  
“No, I don't. My apologies.”  
  
“On second thought... how good are you with a rotary buffer?”  
  
His processor gave him a short but sweet imaginary picture of Ultra Magnus buffing and polishing him. It was enough to send signals of desire through their connection. The sound of surprise coming from Ultra Magnus' vocalizer contained just enough static to make him smug and he did it again. Mental images of things he wanted the tall blue mech to do to him, letting the rising charge resonate between both of their frames.  
  
It was then that the stream of data between them changed. He registered interest and healthy dose of yearning from the other mech. Perhaps not aimed specifically at him but certainly at some sort of meaningful connection. Ultra Magnus pulled back for just a moment, seemingly fearing that Knockout had gone too deep but he just smiled and sent more of himself through his cable as well. It was a delicate situation since they were practically strangers. There was a reason why Decepticons usually didn't encourage these kinds of relations. He certainly wouldn't have tried something like this with a mech like Starscream, for example.  
  
Emboldened and determined, Ultra Magnus touched him in earnest now and Knockout moaned, encouraging him as best as he could. A single servo wandered along his backstrut, over his wheels, giving one of them an experimental spin before wandering to his front and brushing along his headlights. Knockout leaned into the touch. That was a place he liked to have fondled.  
  
The tactile sensations mirrored in their charge and it climbed, rose until tiny electric sparks sprang free from the confinements of the cables and instead raced along their frames. Their electromagnetic fields flared, brushing against each other like two lovers finding each other after way too long. It felt good. It felt comforting. It was nothing but a pleasurable waste of time and for the moment Knockout could forget that it wasn't just that.  
  
There was one more thing he had wanted to try but hadn't been able to yet. Briefly he wondered if Ultra Magnus would be too put off by this but decided to just go with it before the worry would taint his EM field and the connection.  
  
Emulating what he had seen humans do in movies, he moved his hips, rubbing their pelvises together. The tactical feedback was... weird, certainly unusual and Ultra Magnus DID look quite shocked now. As shocked as that face could look, at least. He only grinned again.  
  
“Trust me, I know what I'm doing.”  
  
He really didn't but that wouldn't stop him. He was pretty sure by this point that he would have to worry about paint transfers later, listening to the sound their frames made while they moved against each other. But – and that was the important part – it started feeling good. Still strange but good. He kept going and his cooling system sprung into action. Charge swirled around them, thick and heavy and as close to overloading as it could get.  
  
Knockout rolled his hips one more time against the pelvic plating beneath him, savoring the slow drag of metal against metal as the charge finally decided to overflow and dissipate around him. For a nano-klik, all he saw and heard was static.  
  
They stayed in this position until their systems had rebooted. Ultra Magnus cleared his vocalizer before disconnecting.  
  
“That... had certainly been an experience.”  
  
“I learned that on earth. You should go back there some time. Humans are... disgusting, actually, but also pretty creative.”  
  
“I... see.”  
  
Knockout moved off the mech to let him have some space for himself again. Ultra Magnus got up from the berth, obviously feeling a bit out of place now. Knockout couldn't blame him but it also wouldn't stop him from feeling smug and is he had won some kind of silent competition between them.  
  
“Well, I suppose I will be on my way then. Doctor-”  
  
“Please, call me Knockout.”  
  
“Right. Knockout. We will see each other later.”  
  
“I sure hope so. Oh and... Ultra Magnus?”  
  
He stopped mid-turn. “Yes?”  
  
Knockout let his optics wander over the blue armor, finding a little more red than had been there before, particularly on his pelvic plating. Usually he would be upset, knowing that he had to have a few blue scratches, too, but this time, he would make an exception.  
  
“Oh, nothing. Carry on.”  
  
Yes, perhaps he was just running away from this problems. But if this was what running away looked like then he supposed he could go on like this for a bit longer. He DID have a thing for big and blue mechs after all.

**Author's Note:**

> UM/KO was definitely a challenge to write because I haven't written either of them before (alright, I did write KO before but like... for one short scene) And it also isn't as long as I would have liked but I am glad I managed to finish it! And I also tried to write a plug and play fic for the first time as opposed to a sticky fic because to me it seemed to fit the overall mood I was going for better. IDK if I succeeded.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


End file.
